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Marshall Taylor
Marshall Taylor was the first African American to make a memorable impact on American sports. Marshall a renowned cyclist from Indiana. When Marshall turned 16, he began competing in races. On this date, Marshall Taylor became the first african american to receive the World Championship in cycling. His nickname was the "Black Cyclone." -
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African Americans in Sport
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Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson became the very first African American to win the World Heavyweight Championship for boxing. After a long 14 rounds in Sydney, Australia, Johnson was named the champion by the judges decision. Tommy Burns put up a grueling fight, but Jack Johnson eventually won the title. -
Frederick Jackson Pollard
Frederick Douglas Pollard, otherwise known as 'Fritz”, became the first African American to be named All-American in college football. He also played for several years in the National Football League with the Akron Pros. Then, in 1923, Pollard was named assistant coach of the team. Not only was Fritz a very successful athlete, but also led several teams to victory with his coaching skills. -
Dehart Hubbard
Dehart Hubbard won the long jump in the 1924 Olympics. He became the first African American to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual event. He went on to set the long jump world record in 1925, and later tied the 100-yard dash record in 1926. -
Louise Stokes
Louise Stokes was one of the first African American women to be on a United States Olympic team. However, even though she qualified for several track and field events, she remained on the bench for the duration of the competition. Racial segregation was still holding African American women back from their athletic potential. -
Jackie Robinson
Jack Roosevelt Robinson was the first African American to play in Major League Baseball since the late 1800's. He debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15th in 1947. His entrance into the league was crucial to ending racial segregation in professional baseball. -
Earl Lloyd
Earl Lloyd was the first African American to play in a NBA game. Playing with the Washington Capitols, Lloyd and his team lost to the Rochester Royals 78-70. He also went on to play for the Syracuse Nationals, who later became the Philadelphia 76'ers. -
Joe Louis
Even though Joe Louis was well known for his boxing career, he became the first African American to play golf in a PGA sanctioned event. Golf was considered the gentleman's game and was always very segregated, so this was a huge turning point in African American Sports history. He later founded a charity for underprivileged children called The First Tee. -
Althea Gibson
Althea Gibson became the first African American to win the Wimbeldon as well as the United States Open Championship. She won both titles in 1957 and in 1958. She was named female athlete of the year by the associated press in both years. She was also even referred to as “the Jackie Robinson of tennis”. -
Willie O'Ree
Willie O'Ree became the first African American to play in the National Hockey League. However, in his 1958 season with the Boston Bruins, O'Ree only played in 2 games. He did come back to play for the Bruins in 1961, competing in 41 games as a winger. Oddly enough, O'Ree was legally blind in his right eye due to a hockey accident. -
Ernie Davis
Ernie DavisErnie Davis was the first African American to win the Heisman trophy for college football. Davis played as a running back in college for Syracuse University. He was drafted into the NFL by the Washington Redskins, then traded to the Cleveland Browns. However, Davis would never play in a professional game because he was diagnosed with lukemia in 1962. -
James Harris
James Harris became the first African American quarterback to have a starting position in the NFL. Harris played for the Los Angeles Rams, leading them to their second division title and their first playoff win. He would later be named Most Valuable Player in the conference title game. -
Doug Williams
Doug Williams became the first African American quarterback to win the Super Bowl. Williams was named the Most Valuable Player for the Washington Redskins after defeating the Denver Broncos 42-10. However, Williams would soon fall victim to several injuries, ultimately ending his career in the NFL. -
Tiger Woods
Tiger WoodsTiger Woods, at the tender age of 21, was the first African American to win the Masters in Augusta, Georgia. He also became the first African American to win the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open, and the British Open. In 2001, he became the only golfer to hold all four major championships of golf at the same time. -
Barry Bonds
On October 7th 2001, Barry Bonds hit his 73rd home run of the season, breaking Mark McGwire's record of 70 home runs. San Francisco's Barry Bonds also went on to break the career home run record with 762 home runs.
